5 Post-St. Patrick’s Day Hangover Remedies

St. Patrick's Day is upon us and you've no doubt got your Irish pub crawl planned. But tomorrow? Step away from the Bloody Mary. The hair of the dog may go down easy, but it won’t cure that hangover. Instead, try these remedies that we swear by—and some (sour pickle juice?!) we’ll pass on:

Drinkers in Italy swear by strong, homemade espresso to cure a hangover—and sure enough, researchers recently found that caffeine reacts against the chemical compounds of ethanol (pure alcohol). Take yours with an aspirin for an anti-inflammatory boost for your headache.

In Poland, it’s not the hair of the dog that will ease your hangover...it’s a nice, tall glass of sour pickle juice, apparently chock-full of electrolytes and minerals. Our suggestion? Skip the pickle juice and reach for a sports drink like Gatorade to get an electrolyte boost and keep it down.

Russian drinkers swear by spending some time in the sauna after a heavy night of drinking—but we suggest you don’t try to compete with these master drinkers. Alcohol dehydrates you, so sweating in a hot room is probably the last thing you want to do. Guzzle water instead.

Your mom always told you to take your vitamins, and she was right. She’s especially right come hangover time. Low levels of vitamins B6 and B12 can intensify a hangover, so take supplements (or a multivitamin) when you wake up.